Riff: Alicia Keys – “Girl On Fire”

Looks like a girl, but she’s a flame/So bright, she can burn your eyes/Better look the other way

Borrowing some booming beats from Billy Squier, Keys relishes the chance to show off her set of pipes on this dramatic ode to girl power superbly translated by its Mary Poppins-esque promo. However, Nicki Minaj’s rap about being haunted by Marilyn Monroe’s ghost is the pure definition of shoehorned.

Riff by Jon O'Brien

Jon O'Brien is a UK-based staff writer for SONGLYRICS. He holds a journalism degree from the University of Central Lancashire and has written thousands of biographies and reviews for Allmusic.com, among several other pieces for established music publications.